News Content About Mass Shootings and Attitudes Toward Mental Illness

We examined the impact of media messages about mass shootings on participants' attitudes toward people with mental illness. In a randomized experiment, 293 college students were randomly assigned to read one of five news articles (i.e., one control article, four articles about mass shootings) and answer questions about attitudes toward people with mental illness. Groups significantly differed on attitudes related to perceived dangerousness/social distance and perceived discrimination/belief in recovery, but not insurance/treatment beliefs. The majority of news about mass shootings, even if the article does not mention mental illness or contains expert information, may contribute to negative attitudes.